How to be a respected Product Manager

Do you want to be respected and trusted as a Product Manager? Follow those 10 principles:

1) Don’t say “No” hastily to any request
Only with a mutual understanding of the current roadmap situation and the impact of the request, can the Product Manager say “No” or “Yes”. Researching the request and being transparent regarding the rejection will go a long way in ensuring everlasting respect.

2) Be a part of the development team, not their manager
They are not there to work for you. They are there to work with you on creating the best possible product. You just differ in your skills and responsibilities. Look at your team of junior PMs and they will gladly participate to improve the product outcome!

3) Keep your cool
Staying calm in stressful situations and modest in moments of success will improve how you are perceived. It’s not about not having emotions, it’s about keeping them in check and not saying anything you might regret later.

4) Moderate the conversation
Whether it is your meeting or not, make sure the room is focused on achieving the meeting goal. If not, there needs to be someone brave to redirect the conversation on the right track. Be that person!